It had been a few days since Rina had arrived and she still couldn’t get over how young her mother looked. It wasn’t that the woman didn’t retain her youthful looks in Rina’s time - it was crazy how often they got mistaken for friends instead of mother and daughter when they were out shopping - but Rina knew the signs of a well lived life on her mother’s face. A few wrinkles here, laugh lines there...to see her mother before the grooves had set in was hell of a thing.
It’s probably why she couldn’t stop looking at her mother, when she was supposed to be making dumplings for dinner that night.
She had volunteered to help her mother cook that evening, something that they did together most nights in her own time. A part of her wanted to show off what she did learn from Yanli’s future self, but the rest of her was just happy to be cooking for her family. She could hear the noises of her family members outside of the kitchen as they had pre-dinner drinks and appetizers and felt a burst of warmth flow through her. Rina would never get tired of being surrounded by the noises and love of her family, even if they didn’t quite know her yet.
“These are ready to be steamed!” She chirped at her mother, as she held out a plate full of dumplings ready to go.
While Rina may have not been able to stop looking at her mother, it truly worked out as Yanli hadn't been able to stop looking at her daughter, either. When time seemed to go a bit strange, she would have been lying if she were to say that her mind hadn't wandered back to home and the son she had never had the chance to know -- and she made a habit not to lie, even to herself. It wasn't a rare place for her mind to go, but as she saw parents and children meeting, it was especially hard not to wonder about him and about her own future in Vallo.
Rina had brought answers to those wonderings, at least in regards to Vallo itself. Yanli had always hoped and looked forward to the day she would be a mother; it had always been inevitable, not just because of duty, but simply because she wanted it so very much. With the amount of love that she had to give, Yanli was well suited and she was glad that she had been able to open her life and home to someone as wonderful as Rina, even if she was finding out about it all out of order.
Cooking with Rina, she had decided, was an absolute joy. Yanli smiled as she took the plate of dumplings, looking them over with a pleased and proud nod. Food had always been one of Yanli's most proficient love languages and it was wonderful to know that she had shared that so thoroughly with Rina over the years.
"These look perfect." Yanli directed her smile up at Rina before she turned to get them set to be steamed. "You are very good at this!"
Flushing with pride any time her mother offered her praise, it was no different this time when Yanli examined the dumplings before taking them. It was ridiculous how good it felt to be complimented on her dumplings, but a very small part of her was afraid that Yanli would be disappointed with how she turned out.
Thankfully, it didn’t seem to be the case.
Cooking was a great bonding activity between her and her mother, so to do it in the past while getting to know each other again, it felt right. “Thanks Mama,” Rina said, smiling wide as she wiped her hands on a dish towel and then started to clean up the mess that she had made while putting the dumplings together. “I learned from the best, obviously.” In an all too familiar gesture to Rina, she bumped her mother’s shoulder with her own gently. “What do you want me working on next?”
Though it wasn't so familiar to Yanli as Rina's shoulder bumped her own, she felt a burst of fondness in her chest. It was a simple gesture, but one that spoke of ease and reminded herself so much of her brothers. For as obviously different as those relationships had to be, being the oldest of two rambunctious younger siblings, as well as the most responsible of the three, had helped mold Yanli into the woman she was now. Seeing that Rina had grown up well meant more to Yanli than she could put into words.
And so, she took great joy in bumping her shoulder against Rina's in return, a smile on her face as she did.
Surveying their surroundings, she hummed softly before deciding, "Maybe finish up chopping those vegetables for the soup," and pointing to some carrots that had been neglected. Returning to her own chopping, she asked, "We do this a lot, then? Cooking together?"
A tiny happy squeak escaped Rina when Yanli bumped her back, so reminiscent of the future they have together. It was going so well! Rina had expected some awkwardness, but she was pleasantly surprised to find none available for either of them.
She nodded at Yanli, moving over to the carrots to chop for the soup. “Oh yes. I think almost as soon as I was adopted, you had me in the kitchen with you. At first, just as your taste tester. I took that job very seriously,” she said, mock solemnly, nodding to herself with a seriousness that cracked as a wide smile broke out. “Then you taught me how to measure and pour and, later, chop. It was a lot of fun and we spent a lot of hours in this kitchen together.” It was so familiar, this home of hers, but there were minor differences, from upgrades made in the future.
It wasn't so hard for Yanli to imagine as Rina described the future, the fact that they had already spent a good deal of time together in the kitchen since her arrival notwithstanding. Cooking was her love language and had been for a great long time. Taking care of her loved ones was what she did best and she tried to do that through good food, warm soup, a full belly -- as well as emotional support, but when better to provide such a thing than over food? It would only be natural, then, for Yanli to bring up Rina in such a place, teaching her the tricks that she had learned and bonding over soup kettles and cutting boards.
"That makes me happy to hear," Yanli said with a pleased smile. "Being a taste tester is a very important duty," she added, her smile turning a bit more conspiratorial. "Your uncles can tell you just how important."
“They haven’t stopped singing praises over your food, just so you’re aware. Even the Gusu Lans offer pretty compliments every time you cook,” Rina laughed, chopping away with an expertise that spoke to how often she did this. “But you know what would be fun? Making the uncles cook for us instead. Just once, while I’m here.”
It would be a beautiful disaster and they could always order pizza after.
Yanli immediately stopped her chopping and looked up to Rina, having let her gaze drop to the vegetables to ensure she didn't cut herself. She grinned at the prospect, despite the utter disaster that it would likely be. There was no doubt of the love that she clearly had for her brothers, not to herself or anyone that spent even a moment of time in her presence, and she supported them and knew that they were very talented in their own ways.
One of those ways, though, had never been talent in the kitchen. The thought of them trying to put together a meal was, well. It was something she would rather like to see.
"Yes," Yanli agreed, nodding her head in very supportive agreement. "That is something we will definitely need to ask them to do. We may need to supervise, just to be safe, but I think that is a challenge my brothers should try."
While Jiang Cheng had been an intellectual influence, Wei Wuxian had been a brilliantly chaotic one. This idea of Rina's was definitely born of that chaos.
"I think they can manage, but if you insist…" Rina finished her chopping now, setting it aside so her mother could use the ingredients when she was ready. "I know this wasn't what you expected, but are you happy?"
Again, Yanli immediately looked up from her prep to look at Rina, eyebrows raised. It wasn't what she was expecting, of course it wasn't. But could anyone truly predict anything when it came to Vallo? She hadn't, after all, expected to arrive to one brother, the other one trapped within a terrible version of the island in a snowglobe and to be found later on. It had been an early and very obvious line drawn in the sand; Vallo was very much not like home and to expect the unexpected. Yanli would have thought that, once upon a time, she might not have liked such instability, but now she found herself not minding it so much -- especially when it brought surprises like Rina.
What more, she didn't expect Rina at all. As much as she had hoped to be a mother one day, she had wondered if that had been left behind at home. Yanli was glad, not only to have met Rina, but to also have the evidence that she would one day reach a place where she would be open to letting a child into her life, as she one day would.
Yanli set her knife down and wiped off her hands with a nearby towel before turning toward Rina, reaching out with one hand to cup her daughter's cheek. "This wasn't what I expected, but I could not be happier about it, Rina. I know -- I know that this, right here, is not forever. I am grateful, though, for the glimpse of what is to come."
She couldn’t help but close her eyes at her mother’s touch. Leaning into her hand, she breathed a sigh of relief and then opened her eyes, her eyes slightly watery now. “I know it’s dumb because you tell me all of the time how much you love me, but I don’t know, it’s a relief to hear that.” Wiping away at her eyes when her mother pulled her hand away, she sniffled and said, “Alright! Back to work, Mama! We have hungry family members to feed.”
Yanli felt a little squeeze around her heart at Rina's tears, the balm being knowing that they weren't sad tears. It did her well to know that she was free with her maternal love and affection, as it was important to her that those around her, especially her own child, knew the lengths she would go for them and how much she cared. It had been more complicated between herself and her own mother; Yanli knew her mother had cared, but she didn't want there to be any question between herself and her own child. She was glad to hear that it seemed that was the case.
And so, she smiled a bit wider than before and released a quick breath. "Back to work," she repeated after Rina, returning to her pile of vegetables. "Let's not leave them waiting!"